Two Kinds of People

Introduction

This month is a challenging month for Christians as the immorality that is labeled ‘Pride Month’ is upon us. Jake did a wonderful job last week speaking to fathers and mothers, so much so that I did not want to replicate another Father’s Day sermon. That being said, I thought it would be helpful for us to ask two questions, what does it look like to live as Christians today, and how do we share the love of Christ with an ever more reprobate world?

I believe that Titus 1:15-16 is helpful for us as we consider these things, so please, turn there. I have titled this sermon ‘Two Kinds of People’ and before we read the text, I want to give an example of these two different peoples.

1. As Christians we must emulate this type of response given by Joe Carter, pastor of McLean Bible Church, in Virginia, he writes, “We do not love our neighbor when we tell them they can continue to engage in unrepentant rebellion against God. We cannot continue with the “go along to get along” mentality that is leading those we claim to love to destruction. If we truly love our LGBT neighbors, we must speak the Word of God with boldness. We may have to accept the fact that those who have fallen away may not ever return, but we shouldn’t lead them to hell because we are too craven to tell them the gospel requires repentance.

2. Listen to these quotes about the other type of peoples. Assistant Secretary for Health, Levine, said in October of last year, “Accredited medical professional groups agree that gender-affirming care is medically necessary, safe, and effective for trans and non-binary youth.” And this quote from Jay Johnson, “The Bible depicts several very positive same-sex relationships, including the probably erotic relationship of Jonathan and David and that of the Centurion and his “boy-lover” in the Gospel of Matthew. In addition, the words of Ruth to her mother-in-law Naomi, two women, are so representative of modern understandings of intimate relationships that they are most found in marriage ceremonies.”

Do you see the stark contrasts between the two? Though it is obvious, let us look at to what the Bible says. Let’s read Titus 1:15-16. I want to examine two points that derive from the text. First, what does it mean to be ‘pure’ and second, what does the defiled look like.

The Context

For our consideration this morning, we must, first, get the context of these two verses. What was happening at this time? Well, this chapter includes what elders in the church of God are to look like. He does so, so that they can rightly discern the men of their day, especially considering those who were to be elders in the church. Remember, how Jesus promised to, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits…every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:15-17). Here, Paul is encouraging Titus as he is living in an age where false teachers were present and blending in with the local church. Therefore, Paul made it clear what an elder was to be so there was no mistaking who was to be a leader in the church.

The Scripture reading is not a far cry from this false teaching ideology. As it was read for us, Jesus made clear what a follower of His was to look like and how he/she was to act. Turn back for a moment to Luke 11 and let’s look at verses 38 and 39. The Pharisee in verse 38 was well versed and obedient to the man-centered traditional laws that they had burdened the Jews with. There are people today who are subject, week in and week out, to rules, laws, or a to-do list that are set forth in an attempt to please God. One pastor spoke about being a better person (and no it is not Joel Osteen), this man said, “I have to learn to release the things that have a negative hold on me, stop blaming everybody else for why your life is not the way it is, look at yourself and see what you can change and you will become a better person” (Matt Brown- Sandals Church).

Christian Purity

What does it mean to be pure? Are all things pure for the Christian? Are we already made pure in this life? What about our old nature? These are all appropriate questions regarding purity and the first kind of people we see in this text are those who are pure.

We begin with Christ for without His work on the cross redeeming us, there is no way that we are able to be pure as every one of us is stained with the undercurrent of sin that remains due to our fallen sinful nature. Job asks, “How then can men be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure? (Job 25:4) We know the answer to this question and that is that Christ has made us pure! This has already been done for you and for me! This verse is paralleled with the vision that Peter had regarding unclean and clean food. So, what does this have to do with us? For those of us who are redeemed, we resonate with once being unclean in God’s sight. Just like the food was unclean to Peter and that he could not eat it because it was so, so were we to God. We see it clearly in Isaiah 64 which described us in our sinful state and, also, our deeds, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind, take us away.” There is no escape for any one of us. We are all wicked as long as we remain in our sin.

However, God who is rich in mercy redeemed us in our sinful state at just the right time as Romans tells us, but furthermore “we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared, but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure” (1 John 3:3-4). So, you and I are already made pure in Christ.

Does this mean that all things are pure for the Christian? What does Paul mean here? We need to come back to the context of this passage. The reference is to the ceremonial laws of the Jews. The washing of the hands and the uncleanness of animals, to name a few, were the means of judgment being passed. Christ had purified all of these things in His death as was mentioned before. Thus, all things are pure for the Christian as he is not bound to particular ceremonial laws. I do, however, want to point us to Romans 14, turn there with me and let’s read verses 14-16. We see some similarities to our text, like all things being made clean in Christ, but Paul is also wary of the effect that it may have on someone else’s conscience. This does not mean that we compromise on doctrinal issues, but if there is a particular thing that may cause someone to struggle, like an alcoholic beverage or a certain food item that may be associated with addiction, we must be loving and caring to not, in any way, be the cause to them stumbling. So, yes, all things are pure, but we must be discerning and we must really know those believers that are close to us, hence the need for discipleship in the local church, but that is for another day.

Finally, it could be asked ‘What about our old nature, the flesh that remains?’ If all things are pure and we are pure in Christ, then why does the old nature remain? I don’t know about you, but this can be a challenging question, especially when it is coming from a hater of Christ. The answer is rather simple. That answer is that God in Christ is glorified. As we depend on the Holy Spirit for our continued sanctification as He “helps us in our weakness” (Romans 8:26), God is glorified. Listen to Romans 8:28-30, a familiar passage, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those who He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.” Embrace this promise brothers! Christ has promised to glorify us one day when we see Him! Until then we have the privilege to live lives that bring glory to Christ. Every time we refrain from sin, every time we act in obedience in sharing our faith, every time we suffer persecution, every time we remain true to our word, I could go on and on, but it is during these moments in our lives that we glorify the Lord. Therefore, even though the old man desires desperately to show his ugly face, as we fight the good fight of faith and shut the old man out as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, we glorify the Lord.

Those who are Defiled

The second kind of people are labeled in this text as those who are defiled. The ESV uses the word twice which shows that it is significant. Now, there are other words that Paul uses to describe these people like unbelieving, deniers, detestable, disobedient, and unfit. For the sake of this morning, I want us to focus in on the defilement aspect of verses 15 and 16. Why? Because defilement is the root cause of every other action or symptom that is listed here. The word defile means to pollute, morally and physically speaking it is defined as licentiousness which refers to sexual and drunken sin as well as indecent acts. This is the very world that we live in! Sin has dominated the minds of man, yet they do not see it. Man, today, truly believes that he is setting the course of the world in a positive and progressive way. It can only get better from here, they say. Look at all of the advances that have been made. You can do whatever you want to do. You can be whoever you want to be! That is especially true in the month of June, isn’t it? But let me not pick on Pride month. How about those who tell us that all religions are the same and that they all lead us to a common end? Everyone makes it to heaven, don’t you dare speak about hell. These are common things that we hear. Now, although this is the mindset, there is something very important that we must remember, and our text tells us. Look again at verse 15. It says that “to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.” Even with all of the truly positive advances that have been made in the medical world, they are not pure. They are flawed. The ability to not think rightly or clearly is on display. As long as man is involved defilement will occur. When people tell me that they have read the entire Bible and that it is a great story, but I do not believe that it is true the way that Christians do, I ask them, have you really read the Bible? What do you do with John 14:6, when Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”? The typical response I receive is well, it has been a long time since I read the Bible. Or, the storyline of the Bible is beautiful. Really, so the Godman who died on the cross and having the Father’s back to Him is a beautiful story? Again, the responses I get are that of denial. Remember in Romans 1, Paul’s description of who man is? Listen to verses 24-32- Read the verses. We are not going to look at this passage in depth, but I wanted us to see that this description of man in Titus is not isolated. The world throughout history, including our present day is described here. WE ARE NOT THE FIRST SOCIETY TO HAVE PEOPLE IN OUR MIDST WITH DEFILED MINDS AND CONSCIENCES. Just because we have social media and news access does not mean that this reprobate and defiled mindset started within the last 25 years. This has been going on since Adam sinned, period.

Look at verse 16. How are those who are defiled described? They are described as those who supposedly know God, they live hypocritical lives, they are destestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work. Notice, the absolute term here. They are unfit for any good work. In other words, they are incapable of performing any good work. How would telling someone today that they are truly unfit for any good work go over? It would be an unpleasant conversation, wouldn’t it? However, we must be bold like Paul is here. Paul did not tell this to Titus because he wanted to look better than those who are reprobate. No! He told Titus this because he wanted him to indentify who those people were and then give them the gospel! That was the point!

Is this our response today? Do we desire for man to be saved? Are we ready to speak to someone who is pro-LGBTQ or has even gone through the transgender surgical process? How about someone in our family who thinks he or she knows God, but clearly doesn’t by his/her actions? How would we show the love of Christ to any sinner who would walk through the doors of this church? Are you ready?

Conclusion

I think that it is easy to see, the need for living pure lives in this age. I do, however, want to leave you with four concluding applications to consider. Let me start with a negative.

1. Living pure lives, must, in no way be a means to where we self-elevate ourselves above the culture. We are reminded, even in our Scripture reading, of the humility that Christ exemplified as He told the Pharisees who they were.

2. Being pure, as Christ is pure means that we must not be afraid to give the truth of the Word of God to dying people. Whether a New Testament Pharisee or a modern-day Gentile, people need to hear the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christians possess a pure mind in Christ. As has been noted, we are identified in and by Christ. We belong to Him!

3. Our deeds must also reflect the truth that we hold fast to. Our works must not be those that would show denial to Christ, but reaffirmation that we belong to Him. Thus, we must speak and work and live, so that man would see the work of Christ in us.

4. We are called to do all these things in love. It is not enough for us to, merely, win a battle or an argument, but to win people over for Christ! It is eternity that we, ultimately, look forward to and we must long and desire for all men to spend his eternity in heaven with Christ.